afterfat
Walterdale Theatre (10322 83 avenue) August 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23
Photos used with permission from Carlye Windsor
An interview with Carlye Windsor.
Describe your show in five words.
Every body has a story.
Okay, now that we’re intrigued… what’s the longer description?
Essentially, it’s my story, unfiltered. I’ll take you through the pain and triumph of a never ending exploration to discover myself and my body. It’s a mixture of storytelling and challenging thought, with maybe an odd raunchy joke thrown in there. Maybe.
What inspired you to tell your story of losing 130 lbs in afterfat?
Mostly it was just realizing that I had something to say, something to share that I thought might help someone. I wanted to express something different than mainstream weight loss hype would have you believe, but also something different than I’d originally thought the Body Positive movement was about.
How do you think shows like Extreme Weight Loss and other weight loss-oriented shows have or will affect audience’s reception of afterfat?
I think shows like that have instilled a preconceived notion in people that they already know what weight loss at that level is like: subject has struggled, subject starts journey on a great foot, subject gets side-tracked midway and stumbles, subject finds the inspiration to ‘get back on the horse’ and finally, subject reaches goal in the knick of time. It’s the formula we’ve come to know and love, and along the way we get little tidbits of the ‘deep stuff’, what’s going on inside. I think audiences will come expecting this, but they’ll end up with something a bit different.
In your press release you talk a bit about balance and sort of that idea of ‘everything in moderation’ – the weight loss culture vs. the Body Positive movement. How important are those ideas to afterfat?
I think these ideas are certainly foundational in afterfat, but the overall picture is how much we allow outside influences to define us and how much we choose to define ourselves – that when we feel torn between two extremes, it is possible to find the right place of balance for you as an individual. You can overcome the fear that pulls you in either direction.
Anything else you want audiences to know about the show?
I want them to know that you don’t need to have struggled with your weight, or have issues with body image to take something away from this show. It really is for everybody.
Bonus question: Any names you want to drop who have been involved in your show (Edmonton arts people or otherwise)?
Other than the main ones mentioned in the media release (dramaturgy by Sterling-award winner Jessica Peverett, stage management by Michelle Durocher, directed by Sarah Van Tassel), it’s just been a lot of general support from the theatre community and personal friends and family, for which I am eternally grateful!
The 34th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is August 13 – 23. Get your tickets at tickets.fringetheatre.ca starting August 4.